| CODE | HST3033 | |||||||||
| TITLE | War and Society in Medieval Europe | |||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 03 - Years 2, 3, 4 in Modular Undergraduate Course | |||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 6 | |||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 6 | |||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | History | |||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | The unit studies the phenomenon of war and warfare in medieval Europe between the end of Antiquity and the end of the Middle Ages (ca.400 - 1500). Among the themes to be discussed: timeline and framework; the evolution of warfare from the fifth century to the Carolingian armies; the armies of the feudal age; debating holy war; the Crusades; the evolution of naval warfare; late medieval armies; the Hundred Years' War; society and the economy of warfare; the technology and institutions of warfare; the culture and contexts of war; the sources and historiography of medieval warfare. Study-Unit Aims: - To provide students with factual knowledge on the main themes of medieval warfare; - To offer insights into the main characteristics of the field of research and its challenges; - To highlight developments in the history and historiography of the subject; - To underline the interconnection between different factors shaping the history of warfare from the 400s to the 1500s. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - highlight the key concepts and thematic debates in the subject; - reflect critically how this subject is related to the wider field of medieval history; - describe developments in the different periods of medieval warfare; - analyze the factual knowledge of the subject in relation to the historiography; - make a knowledgeable appraisal of historical interpretations. 2. Skills: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - read critically and selectively the historiography on medieval warfare; - make sense of a range of sources pertaining to the history of medieval war and society; - critically analyze texts as historical sources and understand how to distinguish between sources; - demonstrate a critical awareness of different approaches and interpretations. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: Main Texts: - Philippe Contamine, War in the Middle Ages, Oxford Blackwell 1984 Translation from the French original by Michael Jones; - The New Cambridge Medieval History, Vols 1-7, Cambridge University Press; - Kurt A Raaflaub & Nathan Rosenstein eds, War and Society in the Ancient and Medieval Worlds, Center for Hellenic Studies, Harvard University Press, 1999; - Nicolas Hooper & Matthew Bennett, Cambridge Illustrated Atlas of Warfare: The Middle Ages, 768-1487, Cambridge University Press, 1996. Supplementary Readings: Classic works: - Hans Delbrück, History of the Art of War, Vols 1-4, University of Nebraska Press 1990 Translation from the German original by Walter J Renfroe. - Charles Oman, A History of the Art of War in the Middle Ages, 2 vols,Greenhill Books, 1998. - Christopher Allmand, The Hundred Years War. England and France at War, ca. 1300-ca.1450, Cambridge University Press, 2008. - Christopher Allmand, The De Re Militari of Vegetius: The Reception, Transmission and Legacy of a Roman Text in the Middle Ages, Cambridge University Press, 2011. - John Barnie, War in Medieval Society. Social values and the Hundred Years War, 1337-1399, Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1974. - Donald J Kagay and L.J. Andrew Villalon eds, The Circle of War in the Middle Ages. Essays on Medieval Military and Naval History, Boydell Press, 1999. - Clifford J. Rogers ed, The Oxford Encyclopedia of Medieval Warfare and Military Technology, 3 vols, Oxford University Press, 1996. - Susan Rose, Medieval Naval Warfare, 1000-1500, Routledge, 2002. A selection of primary sources will be provided |
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| ADDITIONAL NOTES | Pre-Requisite Study-Unit: HST1010 or equivalent | |||||||||
| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Seminar and Tutorial | |||||||||
| METHOD OF ASSESSMENT |
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| LECTURER/S | Charles Dalli |
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2025/6. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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